The Plus Sized Autumn

Have you ever gotten a hair cut that you hated the second you saw it? How about a hair stylist misunderstanding what you wanted, or making a mistake with your cut or color? I’ve had an extremely traumatic experience- and I’m ready to share.

Let’s think back to February 2020. COVID was spreading rapidly, masking and social distancing were starting, quarantine shut-downs were looming…people were scared. It was terrifying and stressful and the vast majority of the population was completely unprepared. We did our best to keep ourselves and our children healthy, safe, and sane.

My husband’s job was closely tied to a health care system; we saw the writing on the wall. But it was still a shock for my husband to need to start working remotely. It was still a shock to have our kindergartner sent home with a Chromebook to finish the school year via Google Classroom.

Anyway…back to the story. I had always loved my long hair. Sure it was overstimulating at times and frustrating to take care of, but I loved it. In January 2019, as a young mom to a 5 year old and a 1.5 year old, I got a perm. I naively thought it would be a nice, low maintenance way to look more put together. BIG mistake. I asked for a looser curl, but was given ringlets instead. I straightened the hell out of it every day. If I didn’t have time for that I just put it in a bun.

Just before non-essential businesses had to close their doors due to the pandemic, I had had enough. My husband was working. My oldest (Z) was visiting my grandparents. I decided I had let the perm grow out enough to keep a chin-length bob if I cut the curls out. So I impulsively loaded my youngest (J) in the car and went to a nearby salon that accepted walk ins.

At this point I want to point out that my usual salon had already closed by choice. The salon and stylist I went to was new to me. Mistake #1.

We got inside, checked in, and waited for my turn. I told the stylist that I wanted the perm cut out and to “just make [my hair] look good.” She looked at my hair and said she would cut it dry. I was fine with that, I had washed it that morning. I had J in his stroller so I let her turn me away from the mirror to face him. Mistake #2.

The stylist brushed my hair out. She ran her hands through it. I heard her step away for a second, then heard clippers turn on. I didn’t think anything of it because I’ve almost always had long hair, and occasionally for big chops my usual stylist would get the bulk off with clippers before fine tuning the cut. Mistake #3.

I froze when I felt the clippers run along my skull.

I don’t remember what happened after that. I assume I paid. The next thing I knew, I was sitting in my car sobbing. Instinct must have taken over because J was buckled in his seat and the stroller was in the trunk. We were still parked, but I had turned on the car for the heaters. I pulled down my visor to look in my mirror. I had a buzz cut, all one length, and it was about an inch long. I cried again, then realized J was getting fussy. I pulled myself together enough to drive safely and just…drove. I saw the Marshall’s sign and pulled into the parking lot. “Thank God,” I thought, “Marshall’s has hats.”

We went in, I grabbed a hat, and we checked out. I remember praying and begging in my head that we wouldn’t see anyone we knew. I asked the cashier to pull the tags off of the hat for me, and I put it on before we even got out of the store.

I put J back in his car seat, cried a little more, and stopped at whatever drive-thru I saw first to get J some fries. I called Nanna and asked her to be ready when I got there. She was waiting in the driveway when I pulled in. She got in, and I started driving again. I must have looked rough because Nanna was quiet for a bit before she asked me, “are you pregnant?” (Why is that always the first thing people ask emotional women?) I told her I was not, and I took off my hat. She gasped and half yelled, half asked what happened to my hair.

I don’t remember anything after that either. I don’t know how I told Josh. I don’t remember how Z or Pop reacted. I vaguely recall my mother shrieking when she saw it. I know I wore that hat for days. An amazing stylist at my usual salon heard what happened (I’m not sure how) and reached out, offering to help me choose and fit a wig. A family member had suggested a wig and given me money to buy one if I wanted, so I ordered one from the website she sent me, paid extra for faster shipping, and two days later was having the lace marked and cut for me by the stylist.

It took me a long, long time to grow my hair back out. Even in 2022 it was barely touching my shoulders. It finally got long enough in late 2023 for me to not avoid mirrors anymore. I celebrated by promising myself that I would never color my hair again (I had a few times before) and I would always, always, always take care of it. I started using Abbey Yung’s hair care method and product recommendations, which helped it grow even more, but was a huge amount of time to spend.

Now in 2025, I get regular trims every 4-8 weeks with a stylist I trust and was lucky to find. I use high quality hair care products and limit my use of dry shampoo. I only use microfiber hair towels, and I sleep on a satin pillowcase. I baby my hair as best as I can. If I have to put it up, I use a satin scrunchie, “pantyhose style” hair tie from Gimme Beauty, or a claw clip. And even though I wash it almost every day, my hair is healthier than it has ever been.

I can’t quite laugh about the experience, and I may never be able to, but at least I can use my story as a reminder to myself of how far I’ve come, and to help others not go through the same thing

Do you have a hair horror story? I would love to read it!

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. I appreciate you, and I’m so happy you’re here!